Polycycle.



u. (a. FINLEY. POLYCYCLE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 2|, I913.

Patented May 11, 1915.

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m m m THE NORRIS PErERS 60.. FHOTO-LITHQ. WASHINGTON, D. c.

DAVID GUY FINLEY, OF GRAND ISLAND, NEBRASKA.

POLYCYOLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 11, 1915.

Application filed .Tu1y 21, 1913. Serial No. 780,287.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, DAVID G. FINLEY, citizenof the United States, residing at Grand Island, in the county of Halland State of Nebraska, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Polycycles, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to toys and more particularly to a new and improvedtoy of the manually propelled velocipede type and the object of myinvention is to provide a toy representing a horse drawn vehicle soconstructed that the propelling of the toy will cause the legs of thehorse to move as though drawing the vehicle.

A further object of my invention is to provide a novel means of steeringthe vehicle from the operators seat, the steering mechanism being soarranged as to be normally locked when the vehicle is traveling straightahead.

With these and other objects in view, my invention will be more fullydescribed, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and then.specifically pointed out in the claims which are attached to and form apart of this application.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved toy; Fig.2 is a central longitudinal sectional view showing the operatingmechanism thereof; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the crank shaft whichforms the main or drive axle of the vehicle, together with the pedallevers which are connected to the crank shaft and to the lower portionsof the hind legs of the horse; Fig. 4 is a front elevation of a portionof the steering mechanism, showing the manner in which the sameoperates. i

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the followingdescription and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the samereference characters.

The vehicle proper of my improved toy, as also described in mydivisional application No. 841,051, filed May 26, 1914, includes a shaft10 forming the main axle of l the vehicle, wheels 11 being keyed uponthe ends of the shaft. This shaft 10 is bent intermediate its length toprovide spaced crank portions 12 and lever arms 13 of metal are bent atone end about the wrist pms of the cranks l2 and are providedintermediate their length with flattened portions 14 forming pedals bywhich the rear axle may be rotated as will be later explained. A.vertical U-shaped frame 15 of metal is secured by its free ends aboutthe end portions of the axle 10 immediately within the wheels 11 andsecured to the bight portion is a horizontally disposed U-shaped frame16, the free ends of which converge slightly toward each other to formspaced shafts 17. The bight portion of the frames 15 and 16 support aplate of sheet metal 18 forming a seat for the operator, this seat beingprovided with an upstanding guard rail 19 supported by brackets 20.Diagonal braces 21 connect the intermediate portions of the U-shapedframes 15 and 16.

Mounted between the shafts 17 is a fanciful representation of a horse orother animal 22, preferably formed of sheet metal and of sufficientstrength to support the forward part of the vehicle, said figurebeing-supported between the shafts by bands 23 representing parts of aharness. This figure 22 is of hollow formation and the central portionof its body is braced by a pair of vertically spaced apart braces 24 and25. A shaft 26 is rotatably mounted in alined bores formed in'the braces24 and 25 and held against longitudinal movement through said bores by ahead 27 at its upper end and a collar 28 bearing beneath the lower faceof the brace 25. This shaft terminates at its free end in a downwardlyand forwardly directed fork 29 carrying a shaft 30 upon which is mounteda supporting wheel 31.

Keyed upon the shaft 26 between the braces 24 and 25, is a spur gear 32,the teeth of which mesh with the teeth 33 of an arouate rack bar 34,this bar being mounted upon the downwardly depending fork 35 of a shaft36. This shaft 36 extends at right angles to the forked terminal beingjournaled in a downwardly depending lug 37 of the brace 24 and in abracket 38 extending downwardly and forwardly from the seat 18, Thisbracket is disposed centrally of the seat and includes an upper L-shapedmember 39, one arm of which extends horizontally and the other of whichextends vertically downward from the free end and a second substantiallyZ-shaped member 40 secured by one end to the lower face of the first bythe same fastening rivets 41 which secure the first to the seat, theopposite end of this latter portion carrying a bearing 42 for the shaft36.

Pivotally connected for forward and rearward swinging movement to therear end of the shaft 36, is a hand lever 43. A helical spring 44 issecured by one end to the down wardly directed arm of the L-shapedmember 39 of the bracket and has its free end passed through theintermediate-portion of the member 40 of the bracket and secured to theintermediate portion of the lever 43. The forward edge of the bracketmember 39 is notched as at 45 and this spring serves to normally holdthe lever in the notch and consequently lock the same against swingingmovement from side to side. It will be apparent however, that if thelever is swung forwardly against the force of the spring to free it fromthe notch, it may be then swung to one side or the other to partiallyrotate the shaft 36 and so swing the rack bar 34 to partially turn theshaft 26 and consequently steer. the vehicle.

The shoulder and hip portions of the figure 22 are pressed outwardly toform cupshaped seats for correspondingly shaped terminals of upperforward and rear leg portions 46 and 47, respectively, these portionsbeing secured for swinging movement by pivots 4S and 49. Lower forwardand rear leg portions 50 and 51 are pivotally secured by pivots 52 and53 to the lower ends of the corresponding upper leg portions. The pivots53 also pass through the forward ends of the pedal levers 13.

Links 54 are pivotally connected to the upper ends of the lower forwardleg portions by pivots 55 located at the rear of the pivots 52 and areconnected by their opposite ends to the upper portion of the body 22 bypivots 56. Similar links 57 are connected by pivots 58 to the upper endsof the rear lower leg portions immediately in advance of the pivots 53and by pivots 59 to the upper portions of the body or figure 22. Theupper leg portions 46 and 47 are provided at their upper ends withextended cars 60 and 61 and links 62 and 63 pivotally connect these earswith the free ends of levers 64 which are pivoted centrally as at 65 inthe horses body. It should be noted that the leg portions of the figureare of hollow configuration and that the various links, etc., abovedescribed, are all inclosed in the body and hidden from view.

In operation, the driver occupies the seat 18 and actuates the pedallevers 13 in the usual well known manner to rotate the axle 10 and sopropel the vehicle. The movement of the pedal levers 13 is alsotransmitted to the lower rear leg portions of the horse and from thereto the upper leg portions, this latter movement being due to theswinging of said latter portions upon the links 57. The movement of theupper leg portions is transmitted through the links 63, levers 64 andlinks 62 to the upper forward leg portions and in turn from said legportions to the lower forward leg portion. Because of this, the vehicle,when in movement, will cause a movement of the legs of the figuresimilar to that of the legs of a horse when trotting.

It will of course be understood that I do not wish to in any way limitmyself to the specific details of construction illustrated in thedrawings and set forth in the above specification, as various minorchanges, within the scope of the appended claims, may be made at anytime, without in the slightest degree departing from the spirit of myinvention.

If desired, a hand lever 66 may be pivoted to one of the shafts 17, inadvance of the seat 18 with its lower end slidably mounted through aneye 67 swiveled upon the adjacent lever arm near the pedal thereof. Oneof these hand levers may be employed alone or one may be provided foreach lever arm 12 and 13, as preferred. By this means, the vehicle maybe driven either by hand or by foot, as preferred, or by both.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A toy including a frame, a shaft in the frame, bearing wheels carriedby the shaft, a seat carried by the frame, a bracket extending forwardlyof the seat and provided at its free edge with a notch, a toy animalmounted in the frame, a vertical shaft j ournaled in brackets within theanimal and terminating at its lower end in a wheel carrying fork, a gearkeyed on said shaft, a horizontal shaft having a downwardly dependingarm, an arcuate rack carried by said arm and meshing with the gear, alever pivoted for forward and rear swinging movement to the free end ofsaid shaft and adapted in one position to seat in the notch of thebracket, and a spring secured to the seat and lever arm to normally movethe latter into said notch.

2. A toy including a figure and a seat spaced from the figure supportedupon bearing wheels, a vertically disposed shaft in the figure carryingone of the bearing wheels and revoluble to steer the figure, a secondshaft extending longitudinally of the figure, operative connectionbetween the shafts, whereby turning of the second shaft will turn thefirst, a hand lever pivoted to that In testimony whereof I aflix mysignature end of the second shaft adjacent the seat in presence of tWoWitnesses.

and movable to turn such shaft, a bracket in advance of the seatprovided With a notch DAVID GUY FINLEY to receive the hand lever, and aspring nor- Witnesses:

mally tending to hold the lever in such BERTHA F. Roms,

notch. THOMAS J. NEYLON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for flve cents each, by addressingthe "Gommissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0

